Ike and Huff Combine for 46 as Gonzaga Pulls Away from UCLA in 82-72 Win
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Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) rebounds the ball over UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images [/caption]
SEATTLE, Wash. — At the beginning of each half in the contest between No. 8 Gonzaga (10-1) and No. 25 UCLA (7-3), the Bruins threw a wrinkle at the Zags, going on sizable runs to gain momentum in a swift and stunning fashion. But the Bulldogs battled through these slight storms to catalyze some energy of their own, finishing strong to grab an 82-72 win in the Seattle Hoops Showdown. In the process, Gonzaga earned its first-ever victory at Climate Pledge Arena after a three-game losing streak at the venue entering play.
Aside from the several spells GU underwent in this game, the constant was the assured production from its two best players, Graham Ike and Braden Huff. The Bulldogs’ bigs combined for 46 points on 16-for-28 shooting, routinely finishing over and through contact from Bruins defenders, willing the Zags to a win.
After UCLA jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes, Ike responded furiously with a three-pointer from the top of the key, a jumper from the free-throw line, and a thunderous slam past two leaping Bruins.
Then it was Huff’s turn.
With the focus of UCLA’s defense shifting to Ike, he deferred to Huff, who showed he was just as capable of controlling the game with his scoring ability. Huff rattled off a couple of turnaround jumpers in the backend of the first half, drawing fouls on both shots, and even knocked down a three of his own in that span.
The tandem once again proved to be the difference that took this Gonzaga team over the top.
“These guys to the right and left of me [Ike and Huff], were just delivering time and time again,” Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said. “Lucky for us, we had these guys to kind of lean into.”
Bruins head coach Mick Cronin threw the kitchen sink at the Zags in terms of defensive coverages. UCLA pressed GU to begin the game when the ball was being brought up, switched between man and zone—even playing versions of both—and collapsed and rallied to the ball when it was pushed inside. For most of the game, every Bulldog not named Ike or Huff struggled to find their own looks.
Tyon Grant-Foster was left open for the most part when he had the ball in his hands, as the Bruins dared the final-year forward to burn them with his jumper, peaking at a point when a UCLA defender half turned his back to Grant-Foster on the perimeter. When the Bruins sent doubles the bigs’ way, the Bulldogs didn’t make them pay by connecting on their attempts from beyond the arc. In fact, the highest percentage looks the Zags got in the initial 20 minutes, when it wasn’t taken from either Ike or Huff, were off turnovers, as Jalen Warley, Grant-Foster, and Mario Saint-Supéry each scored buckets in the open floor off steals. But Gonzaga stuck to its process on offense, and eventually the results followed.
“Just staying poised, and just letting the game come to us,” Ike said. “Reading the defense and just running the offense, no matter what defense they’re in and staying poised is the biggest thing for us.”
To start the second period, UCLA began to match GU’s physicality and deny Ike and Huff from getting to their spots as easily. It allowed them to give Gonzaga a taste of its own medicine, as the Bruins converted several fast-break buckets. They paired this with the continued effectiveness of forward Tyler Bilodeau to spark a 9-0 run and take a one-point lead five minutes into the second half. At times throughout the matchup, Bilodeau seemed to single-handedly keep the Bruins in the game with his shotmaking and ability to get to the free-throw line. He finished with 24 points, shooting 7-for-13 from the field, and drilling four of six three-point tries.
Needing other players to step up, the Zags got contributions from some auxiliary pieces, more specifically huge trey balls from Miller and Braeden Smith, powering a 10-2 run to take the lead back. Saint-Supéry hit a shot from downtown not too long after, as well as driving through the lane for a layup, the biggest moments of his 12-point night.
With the lead in hand, it came down to closing out the contest, meaning getting stops on the defensive end. Even though he wasn’t in foul trouble, Few subbed out Huff on nearly every UCLA possession down the stretch, subbing in either Warley or Innocenti to emphasize the point of shutting the Bruins down from scoring.
“Late in the second half, it just turned into a defensive battle,” Few said. “Both teams were playing really, really hard, making it really, really hard to generate baskets….but we made just enough defensive plays to get a little distance going.”
Considering the opponent, venue, and the way the game unfolded with back-and-forth blows throughout, it was an impressive victory for a Bulldogs squad that hasn’t been in these situations often this year. There was plenty to take away for GU, with the majority being positive.
“The adversity was needed in this one. It was a close game, which we expected,” Ike said. “It was good for us to be tested like that to pull it out.”
Although the Bruins remained winless against ranked opponents, they still gave the Zags a tough outing and lessons for the future.
“That’s a very, very good team. I mean, that’s a high, high-level team. It’s well coached, tough,” Few said. “We’ll get a lot out of it the rest of the year.”
